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January 07, 2013

What to do next

Figuring out what to do next is your real job.

It doesn't matter what your job title is. It doesn't matter whether you work solo or with a team. Your real value is determined by your ability to look out into a murky, uncertain, future and make a decision about what to do next.

Are you considering all your options?

Are you sure?

Have your goals changed? Do people know that your goals have changed? Here's an example of what I mean by that. About two years ago, I made the personal decision that I would no longer be motivated by simply selling art. Deciding that was the easy part. Explaining that decision to others and reassuring them that I hadn't gone insane was much more challenging.

But I knew that in order to deliver real long term value to my day job I had to stop being focused on the short term bottom line. Instead I had to move my focus toward building the tools and infrastructure necessary to market the next 100 plays . . . not just the one happening this month.

That was my "what to do next". Yours may be totally different.

Maybe you need to focus on short term revenue generation.

Maybe you need to step back and reattach with your artistic purpose.

Maybe you need to close your organization down.

Maybe you need to build one.

You have options. You have tons of options.

But you need to choose. Of course making real decisions is tough. You make yourself vulnerable. You could be wrong. Maybe people will shun you. Maybe you'll lose your career over it.

But probably not.

In this chaotic, complicated, dynamic environment the most dangerous decision is no decision.